ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120136665A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PYTEL, Mariusz
• Granted Patent: US 8,892,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/047 Architecture of speech synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/222 Barge in, i.e. overridable guidance for interrupting prompts

Abstract

Disclosed are an electronic device and a control method thereof, The electronic device includes a text-to-speech unit which converts a text into an audio signal, an audio output unit which outputs an audio corresponding to the converted audio signal; and a controller which controls the audio output unit to reoutput at least one of audios whose output is not completed if there is at least one audio which is not completely output among a plurality of audios output by the audio output unit.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a text-to-speech unit configured to convert a text into an audio signal;

an audio output unit that outputs an audio corresponding to the audio signal converted by the text-to-speech unit; and

a controller that controls the audio output unit to reoutput the audio if output of the audio has not been completed,

wherein the audio is one of a plurality of audios for which output has started.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit which stores the plurality of audios.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising a user input unit, wherein

the controller controls the audio output unit to reoutput the audio based on a selection received by the user input unit from among one of the plurality of audios whose output has been started but has not been completed.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of audios whose output has not been completed comprises a first audio whose output has not been completed due to a start of a subsequent output of a second audio following the start of the output of the first audio.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the user input unit comprises a key to reoutput the one of the plurality of audios.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a user input unit,

wherein the controller controls the text-to-speech unit to convert the text corresponding to a selection by the user input unit into the audio signal.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a text-to-speech unit configured to convert a text into an audio signal;

an audio output unit that outputs an audio corresponding to the audio signal converted by the text-to-speech unit; and

a controller that controls the audio output unit to delay an output of a second audio until an output of a first audio has been completed based on a command to output the second audio, wherein the command is received before the output of the first audio has been completed.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, further comprising a storage unit, wherein

the controller controls the storage unit to store the second audio for which the output command has been received, and controls the audio output unit to output the stored second audio if the output of the first audio is completed.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the controller controls the text-to-speech unit to convert the text corresponding to a selection into the audio signal.

10. A control method of an electronic device comprising:

converting a text into an audio signal;

commencing output of an audio corresponding to the converted audio signal; and

reoutputting the audio if the output of the audio has not been completed,

wherein the audio is one of a plurality of audios for which output has started.

11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising storing the plurality of audios.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the reoutputting comprises reoutputting the audio based on an input that selects the audio from among the plurality of audios whose output has started but has not been completed.

13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein the audio comprises a first audio whose output is started but not completed due to a start of an output of a second audio following the start but prior to completion of the output of the first audio.

14. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the converting comprises converting the text corresponding to a selection into the audio signal.

15. A control method of an electronic device comprising:

converting a text into an audio signal;

commencing output of a first audio corresponding to the converted audio signal;

receiving a command to output a second audio, wherein the command is received before the output of the first audio is completed; and

delaying the output of the second audio until the output of the first audio is completed.

16. The control method according to claim 15, further comprising:

storing the second audio; and

outputting the stored second audio once the output of the first audio has been completed.

17. The control method according to claim 16, wherein the converting comprises converting the text corresponding to a selection into an audio signal.

18. A device, comprising:

an output unit that outputs an audio; and

a controller that controls the output unit to reoutput the audio if the output of the audio has not been completed and an output of another audio has started.

19. A computer readable information medium containing instructions for controlling a device, the instructions comprising:

commencing output of a first audio; and

reoutputting the first audio if the output of the audio has not been completed and output of a second audio has started.

20. An output control method, comprising:

commencing output of a first audio;

prior to completion of the output of the first audio, receiving a command to output a second audio; and

delaying the output of the second audio until the output of the first audio has been completed.